National School Choice Super PAC Targets Two Idaho Legislative Challengers Ahead of May Primary
Why It Matters
Outside money is flowing into two Idaho legislative primary races, with a national school choice organization spending tens of thousands of dollars to defend incumbent lawmakers who supported the state’s Parental Choice Tax Credit program. The spending signals that school choice remains one of the most contested and well-funded battlegrounds in Idaho politics heading into the May 19 primary election.
What Happened
The American Federation for Children’s AFC Victory Fund reported $50,000 in broadcast advertising to oppose two legislative challengers: Melissa Durrant, running in District 23 House Seat A, and Megan Blanksma, running in the District 8 Senate race.
Durrant is challenging Rep. Chris Bruce, R-Kuna, while Blanksma is one of two candidates challenging Sen. Christy Zito, R-Mountain Home. The expenditure report was filed on Friday.
The broadcast ad spending follows the AFC’s parent organization reporting $45,000 in lobbying expenses to support Bruce and Zito directly, through direct mailings, social media, and text messages.
The AFC Victory Fund also announced in early April that it had terminated its Idaho-specific fundraising arm, the Idaho Federation for Children PAC, in favor of routing all activity through its national super PAC. AFC national press secretary Brian Jodice described the consolidation as a move toward a more “clean operation.”
“We’re active in a lot of states across the country,” Jodice said in remarks reported by Idaho Education News in early April. “Obviously, Idaho we’ve cared deeply about over the last few years, specifically, over the last year getting that school choice program stood up.”
By the Numbers
- $50,000 — AFC Victory Fund broadcast advertising to oppose Durrant and Blanksma
- $27,500 — portion of that spending targeted specifically against Melissa Durrant
- $33,422 — AFC lobbying expenditures in direct support of Rep. Chris Bruce
- $80,655 — the Idaho Federation for Children’s independent expenditure spending against Durrant in the 2024 primary
- 83 votes — Bruce’s margin of victory over Durrant in the 2024 Republican primary rematch
- 6,000+ — families who have applied for Idaho’s Parental Choice Tax Credit, according to Sen. Zito
Zoom Out
The AFC Victory Fund’s involvement in Idaho’s legislative races reflects a broader national effort to protect and expand school choice programs that have gained traction in Republican-led states. Idaho’s Parental Choice Tax Credit, which offers up to $5,000 per student — or $7,500 for students with disabilities — to help cover non-public school tuition, became a signature conservative education achievement during the 2026 legislative session.
Sen. Zito has publicly backed raising the program’s current $50 million funding cap, arguing the tax credit costs the state less than educating a child in the public school system. Challenger Megan Blanksma has raised concerns that the program disproportionately benefits families in the Treasure Valley rather than constituents in the expansive rural district she and Zito are competing to represent.
The spending pattern mirrors what played out in the 2024 cycle, when the AFC poured more than $80,000 into the Bruce-Durrant race. Bruce prevailed by just 83 votes, making the 2026 rematch one of the most closely watched contests on the Republican primary ballot.
The AFC’s decision to shut down its Idaho-specific PAC and funnel resources through its national super PAC also reflects a growing trend of national organizations consolidating their state-level political operations for greater efficiency and legal flexibility.
What’s Next
Idaho’s May 19 Republican primary will determine the outcomes of both races. The Bruce-Durrant contest is widely expected to be competitive again given the razor-thin 2024 margin. With additional broadcast advertising now on the air and direct-contact campaigns already underway in support of Bruce and Zito, both incumbents enter the final stretch of the primary with significant organizational backing from the national school choice movement.
Voters can review their sample ballots ahead of the primary at their county clerk’s office or through the Idaho Secretary of State’s website.
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